Codes & Standards

 

Essential to the work of the electrical contractor is knowledge of the National Electrical Code, the National Electrical Installation Standards and additional standards and codes administered by the National Fire Protection Association, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and others. Here is a list of all our articles on codes and standards listed chronologically by issue date. 

Article 240 in the National Electrical Code (NEC) provides general requirements for overcurrent protection and overcurrent protective devices.

Article 424 in the National Electrical Code (NEC) addresses fixed electric space heating equipment, stating, “for the purpose of the article, heating equipment shall include heating cable, unit heaters, boilers, central systems, or other approved fixed electric space-heating equipment.” Since the sc

At a recent seminar, one of the attendees asked, “What is a ‘Ufer’ ground?” This is a common question. A “Ufer” ground is slang for what the National Electrical Code (NEC) addresses as a concrete-encased grounding electrode.

If you have a problem related to the National Electrical Code (NEC), are experiencing difficulty in understanding a Code requirement, or are wondering why or if such a requirement exists, ask Charlie, and he will let the Code decide. Questions can be sent to codefaqs@earthlink.net.

More on Codes & Standards

 
Rule of Sixes

Lately, I have received questions about the number of disconnects permitted for a building or structure. In one query, an inspection found more than six disconnects were present in an oil and gas refinery building, and it took more than six throws of the hand to disconnect incoming power supplies.

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Sizing Conductors, Part XVII

Table 310.15(B)(16) is one of the most referenced tables in the National Electrical Code (NEC). It provides allowable ampacities for insulated conductors rated up to and including 2,000 volts (V).

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Parallel Conductors, Threaded Pitches and More

If you have a problem related to the National ElectricalCode (NEC), are experiencing difficulty in understanding a Code requirement, or are wondering why or if such a requirement exists, ask Charlie, and he will let the Code decide. Questions can be sent to codefaqs@earthlink.net.

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Editors' Pick
NEC 2014 Outlook

The 2014 National Electrical Code (NEC) development process is in full swing with the NEC technical committees acting on 3,745 proposed new articles and revisions. New and improving technologies and industry advances are driving changes into the electrical industry at an accelerated pace.

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Which Is It?

Motor-control circuits may be very low voltage; they may be in the 12- to 24-volt (V) alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) range or as high as 600V.

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Arbiter of an Argument

A contractor asked me to inspect the grounding and bonding of a service that he installed for a customer. He was told that the service had been grounded wrong and that it was dangerous to be powered up by the utility. Therefore, the owner would not pay the contractor for services rendered.

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Sizing Grounding Electrode Conductors, Restroom Receptacles and More

If you have a problem related to the National Electrical Code (NEC), are experiencing difficulty in understanding a Code requirement, or are wondering why or if such a requirement exists, ask Charlie, and he will let the Code decide. Questions can be sent to codefaqs@earthlink.net.

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